'92 Texas murder solved with confession at execution

Man admits to unsolved murder before execution

Published 5:30 am, Monday, April 6, 2009

HUNTSVILLE — Melissa Michelle Morales’ family prayed for the day when authorities could tell them who killed the young convenience store clerk during a robbery nearly 17 years ago in San Antonio.

Those prayers were answered March 11, when — about an hour before being executed — Texas death row inmate Louis Cervantes Salazar confessed.

“I’m happy now that I know who did this to her, but I’m also sad that I wasn’t able to confront him and let him know exactly what I feel,” said Morales’ mother, Alma DeLeon. “At least now we can have some peace in knowing … that he’s gone; that he’s no longer here to hurt anybody else.”

Authorities said Salazar, 38, confessed at the urging of his spiritual counselor. The condemned inmate spoke with a Texas Ranger for about 20 minutes on the day he was to be executed for another stabbing death. That victim — 28-year-old Martha Sanchez — was killed Oct. 11, 1997.

Authorities said Salazar told the Texas Ranger he stabbed a woman to death April 19, 1992, at a Stop-N-Go in the 2400 block of Northwest 36th Street.

State police provided San Antonio cold case detectives with recorded tapes of the confession.

“There were details related to the crime that only he would have known,” Police Chief William McManus said.

In his final statement at his execution, Salazar thanked his spiritual counselor for his friendship. The counselor was Salazar’s only witness attending the execution.

Salazar confessed to other crimes, including an aggravated assault that he thought ended in murder.

“The individual who murdered Melissa was a very, very bad person,” McManus said. “He had done a lot of things to a lot of people. ... but one thing is for certain, that this individual will not be able to hurt anyone anymore after this.”

San Antonio police always considered Salazar one of several suspects in Morales’ death but were unable to link him to the crime.

Records and court transcripts show that at the time of the murder, Salazar was on probation for at least two aggravated robberies committed in 1988 and was implicated in the sexual assault of a mentally disabled teen.

The murder of Morales, 19, prompted the Legislature to require convenience stores to install security cameras.

Morales was the eldest of three daughters and the first in her family to attend college.

She moved out of her family’s home about three months before her death. She took the job working the late shift against her family’s wishes, according to an Express-News story from 1992.

On the night she was killed, a police officer patrolling the area visited the store, then left to respond to another call. When he returned about 4 a.m. the officer discovered Morales’ body in a walk-in beer cooler.

While relieved with Salazar’s confession, the family remains heartbroken, and upset they were never able to confront the man.

“I wanted to ask him why he thought he had to do this to her, especially the way he did it,” DeLeon said.

“I always had faith,” Alma DeLeon said. “We continued to pray and pray. We had Masses every year, hoping something would come up.”